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J.S. Bach by Dr. D. James
Kennedy
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…‘Behold! The Lamb of God…’—John 1:29
Johann Sebastian
Bach is considered the father of classical music and, in the opinion of
many, the greatest musician ever to have lived. But he not only wrote and
played music excellently, he also sought to glorify God in all he did. For
three centuries now, Bach’s music has taken people beyond themselves and
toward God.
In addition to
composing music, Bach also fulfilled countless other obligations. He raised
a large family. He taught music on a regular basis. He served as a church
musician as well as conductor for the church choir and orchestra. He also
fulfilled an obligation to compose new music for every Sunday. He regarded
himself as a conscientious craftsman doing a job to the best of his ability
for his supervisor’s satisfaction, for others’ pleasure and edification,
and above all, for God’s glory.
Many historians
have noted that all over his manuscripts Bach wrote notations such as
“S.D.G.”(Soli Deo Gloria), meaning “Solely to the glory of God” or
“I.N.J.”(In Nomine Jesu), meaning “In the name of Jesus.”
Throughout
his great masterpieces appear these words from Scripture: “Behold! The Lamb
of God” (John 1:29). In his music, Bach honored the Lamb of God who had
taken away his sin and had given him the peace and joy that pervaded his
life…the Lamb of God to whom he ascribed all glory and to whom he appealed
every day. According to Bach, music was worship, and he told his music
pupils that unless they committed their talents to the Lord Jesus Christ
they’d never become great musicians.
J. S. Bach did not
live for fame or fortune. He lived for God’s glory. That focus pervaded his
life. We, too, should have this goal as our singular focus.
Where
there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious
presence. —J.S. Bach
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Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Bach
September 30
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Possibilities Unlimited
Possibilities Unlimited by Dr. D. James Kennedy
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:13
What would you try if you knew you could not fail? Would you climb a mountain? learn to fly an airplane? share the gospel with your family? The Scripture promises us that we can do “all things.”
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:13
What would you try if you knew you could not fail? Would you climb a mountain? learn to fly an airplane? share the gospel with your family? The Scripture promises us that we can do “all things.”
Have you claimed that promise? A person who professes to believe he or
she “can do all things through Christ” and does not exercise that belief
is like a miser who has a hundred million dollars in the bank but
scavenges through trash cans for his daily food.
For many of us, our belief is more like this: “I can do a few things through Christ, who gives me a little help.”
Why do we sometimes believe that we can do only “a few things”? We believe this because we listen to the lies Satan speaks through his voice of discouragement. We believe this because we allow persecution to stop the Lord’s work.
But if we want God to use us, we have to bank on that verse. Those who have turned the world upside down—Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, and William Carey—believed God could do mighty things through them. They made this verse their life verse, and it transformed them.
And even though the apostle Paul was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and left for dead, he attempted great things for God because he expected great things from God. He lived by the verse he had penned—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If you let the truth of this verse permeate your thinking, it can transform your life! We achieve only a fraction of what we could because we don’t take God at His Word.
Are your expectations too low? Do you dream big dreams but never act on them? Then ask God to plant this promise deep in your soul and help you live in His power!
For many of us, our belief is more like this: “I can do a few things through Christ, who gives me a little help.”
Why do we sometimes believe that we can do only “a few things”? We believe this because we listen to the lies Satan speaks through his voice of discouragement. We believe this because we allow persecution to stop the Lord’s work.
But if we want God to use us, we have to bank on that verse. Those who have turned the world upside down—Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, and William Carey—believed God could do mighty things through them. They made this verse their life verse, and it transformed them.
And even though the apostle Paul was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and left for dead, he attempted great things for God because he expected great things from God. He lived by the verse he had penned—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If you let the truth of this verse permeate your thinking, it can transform your life! We achieve only a fraction of what we could because we don’t take God at His Word.
Are your expectations too low? Do you dream big dreams but never act on them? Then ask God to plant this promise deep in your soul and help you live in His power!
Overcoming Challenge!
When I was in college I took an economics class that confirmed my decision not to major in business.
I couldn’t process the micro or macro economic principles, nothing connected, and I was failing. So I called my dad and pleaded my case to let me drop this nightmare class.
But he said, “No Lysa. If I let you drop this class I would be doing you a terrible disservice. There are lessons that can only be learned when you are placed in the crucible of perseverance.”
I couldn’t process the micro or macro economic principles, nothing connected, and I was failing. So I called my dad and pleaded my case to let me drop this nightmare class.
But he said, “No Lysa. If I let you drop this class I would be doing you a terrible disservice. There are lessons that can only be learned when you are placed in the crucible of perseverance.”
It’s
true. I know I find myself too often avoiding challenge for fear of
failure. Some things may not be easy for us, and we may never learn to
do them perfectly. But perfection comes from strengths we knew we had.
However, perseverance comes from tapping into something inside of us
that we are surprised we had and that’s worth discovering. Lysa
TerKeurst
What challenge confronts you today that weakens your resolve and diminishes your self-confidence? What problem are you facing that seems insoluble?
Whatever it is that you cannot possibly overcome on your own, whatever difficulty seems beyond your ability to master, remember that you don't have to handle it by yourself, for you are the Lord's and HE has promised that you can, "do all things through Christ who strengthens you." Philippians 4:13
He has invited you to "Cast all your cares (challenges, problems, frustrations, diseases, limitations, etc.) on HIM, for HE CARES FOR YOU!" I Peter 5:7
The Christian walk isn't about tackling life's problems alone, it is about allowing your Savior to help you overcome them--so "all things" can indeed "work together for good for those who love Jesus." Romans 8:28
Stand on HIS PROMISES. Trust in HIS WORD. Allow Him the opportunity to show you HIS GLORY as you simply BELIEVE.
What challenge confronts you today that weakens your resolve and diminishes your self-confidence? What problem are you facing that seems insoluble?
Whatever it is that you cannot possibly overcome on your own, whatever difficulty seems beyond your ability to master, remember that you don't have to handle it by yourself, for you are the Lord's and HE has promised that you can, "do all things through Christ who strengthens you." Philippians 4:13
He has invited you to "Cast all your cares (challenges, problems, frustrations, diseases, limitations, etc.) on HIM, for HE CARES FOR YOU!" I Peter 5:7
The Christian walk isn't about tackling life's problems alone, it is about allowing your Savior to help you overcome them--so "all things" can indeed "work together for good for those who love Jesus." Romans 8:28
Stand on HIS PROMISES. Trust in HIS WORD. Allow Him the opportunity to show you HIS GLORY as you simply BELIEVE.
Rejected for Christ
September 29
Rejected for Christ
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"And they took offense at Him...." Matthew 13:57
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"And they took offense at Him...." Matthew 13:57
Jesus taught in the synagogue in the
community He grew up in. He was raised
as a local carpenter's son. No one saw
any miraculous powers in this young boy's life.
But something changed as He became older.
"Where did this man get this
wisdom and these miraculous powers?"
Those in the community could not reconcile God's work in someone they
thought they knew simply as the carpenter's son. God brings every person who is committed to
Him out of their normal routine into a new revelation of Himself that impacts
others.
Is the move of God so evident in
your life that it invites scrutiny from friends or coworkers? Jesus confronted the issues of His day
without fear of being rejected. A life
of obedience will be an affront to the systems of this world. When God begins
His deeper work in you, it will be a stumbling block to those around you.
When you are rejected for Christ,
consider that Christ is affirming His call on your life and you are becoming a
threat to the kingdom of darkness. How
many of satan's workers do you suppose have been assigned to thwart God's activity
in your life? Those who sit in a pew
from week to week and never speak the name of Christ outside of church require
few opponents because they represent no threat to the kingdom of darkness.
How are you impacting the kingdom of
darkness? God has called you and me to
impact the lives around us for Christ’s Kingdom. Your words may be an affront to those around
you; do not fear this. God will use your
words and life to draw others to Himself.
You are His ambassador among the
people who populate your life. He has placed you where you are for this time to
shine the light of Christ upon those who live in the spiritual darkness of an
enemy who desires nothing less than robbing men of their eternal souls; He has
placed you where you are to extend life to those who are spiritually dead.
Monday, September 28, 2015
What's That Noise?
I came home from a women's leadership meeting at church one night to
find everyone had already gone to bed. Feeling hungry, I went into the
kitchen and fixed myself a bowl of fresh blueberries. They were in
season and were magnificent.
Then I heard it. It was a strange noise I had never heard before. It sounded like the lower notes of a cello and it was occurring at five- and 10-second intervals. Not only was the noise unusual, but my dishwasher and the entire kitchen counter would vibrate at each interval.
"What in the world could that be," I thought. Our dishwasher was in its last stages of drying, so I turned it off. But the noise and vibrations continued.
I went to the bedroom and woke my husband. "Art! Art, wake up! There's a strange noise in the house. It's a low, humming sound, and it's causing everything to vibrate."
Art's a sound sleeper, so he simply turned over and said, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. It's probably the hot water heater." But we had only recently purchased the hot water heater, which had been installed, inspected and reset. Could this possibly be the cause?
Now, settled in the bedroom, I could still hear the noise and feel the subsequent vibrations. It was not just in the kitchen now. It encompassed every room.
Being the woman of faith that I am, I said, "We have to do something. We just can't sit here. What if there's something wrong with that heater and it explodes? It can cause a fire. I'm calling the fire department to check it out."
At those words, Art got up and went out to the garage. He examined the heater, then went to the fuse box and turned off the connection to the heater. That should do it. It didn't. The noise continued.
Now I was really getting worried. Art went back to bed and turned over. "I have an early day tomorrow, and I need my sleep," he said." The Lord will take care of us."
"Well, I'm staying up in case something happens," I said. I gathered some treasured belongings and asked if our valuable papers were secure in our fireproof box in case I had to quickly grab them on the way out of the possibly exploding house.
I spent most of the night watching old reruns and praying during the commercials. Then I started timing the noises like a midwife. One, two, three, four, five, and I would hear the sound and feel the shaking; one two, three, four, five, and the cycle continued. In between "contractions" I prayed, "Lord, what is this? Help us, God." I finally gave way to exhaustion and fell asleep.
In the morning, we awoke to the same rhythmic sounds. "Thank You, Jesus," I said. "We're still here. We're alive and well. The house is still standing. But what is that noise?"
Our son woke up and we asked him if he heard the noise and felt the shaking. He said yes and mentioned that the night before he had turned on a switch he thought was connected to the water heater because the water was not hot enough.
Switch? What switch? He then walked into the garage and turned it off. The noise and shaking stopped, and our electrician later discovered it was connected to our attic fan, which we never used. I felt so foolish. The reality was much less foreboding than my imagination had been.
So while my husband and son slept peacefully, I had stayed awake waiting, watching, praying and imagining the worse. Have you ever felt that way? Have you had situations that were beyond your control and you didn't know what to do?
Sometimes we don't know what's happening, why or how a situation is going to work out. We have no answers. We only have questions and we are forced to wait for and depend on someone who knows more than we do to take over and bring the solution. As much as I prayed, God did not show me what was going on. Instead, He allowed me to stew in my own fears. He knew I was perfectly safe from harm. He knew what was happening and that my fears were unfounded even if I didn't. Instead of fretting, I could have slept in peace and safety, according to Psalm 4:8.
There are times when a major crisis disrupts our lives and we feel equally helpless in the face of it. God knows all about that too. He knows the end from the beginning and He has already promised that all things will work out for our good no matter what it sounds or looks like (see Rom. 8:28).
He knows how to handle each situation, and we can rely on Him totally for even the smallest details of our lives—whether it's the unfamiliar noise and shaking of an attic fan, or the shaking of our security through unemployment, illness or loss of a loved one. We may not understand what's happening when we're going through it, but in His time He will give us understanding and we will rejoice at the final outcome (see Jeremiah 29:11).
Then I heard it. It was a strange noise I had never heard before. It sounded like the lower notes of a cello and it was occurring at five- and 10-second intervals. Not only was the noise unusual, but my dishwasher and the entire kitchen counter would vibrate at each interval.
"What in the world could that be," I thought. Our dishwasher was in its last stages of drying, so I turned it off. But the noise and vibrations continued.
I went to the bedroom and woke my husband. "Art! Art, wake up! There's a strange noise in the house. It's a low, humming sound, and it's causing everything to vibrate."
Art's a sound sleeper, so he simply turned over and said, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. It's probably the hot water heater." But we had only recently purchased the hot water heater, which had been installed, inspected and reset. Could this possibly be the cause?
Now, settled in the bedroom, I could still hear the noise and feel the subsequent vibrations. It was not just in the kitchen now. It encompassed every room.
Being the woman of faith that I am, I said, "We have to do something. We just can't sit here. What if there's something wrong with that heater and it explodes? It can cause a fire. I'm calling the fire department to check it out."
At those words, Art got up and went out to the garage. He examined the heater, then went to the fuse box and turned off the connection to the heater. That should do it. It didn't. The noise continued.
Now I was really getting worried. Art went back to bed and turned over. "I have an early day tomorrow, and I need my sleep," he said." The Lord will take care of us."
"Well, I'm staying up in case something happens," I said. I gathered some treasured belongings and asked if our valuable papers were secure in our fireproof box in case I had to quickly grab them on the way out of the possibly exploding house.
I spent most of the night watching old reruns and praying during the commercials. Then I started timing the noises like a midwife. One, two, three, four, five, and I would hear the sound and feel the shaking; one two, three, four, five, and the cycle continued. In between "contractions" I prayed, "Lord, what is this? Help us, God." I finally gave way to exhaustion and fell asleep.
In the morning, we awoke to the same rhythmic sounds. "Thank You, Jesus," I said. "We're still here. We're alive and well. The house is still standing. But what is that noise?"
Our son woke up and we asked him if he heard the noise and felt the shaking. He said yes and mentioned that the night before he had turned on a switch he thought was connected to the water heater because the water was not hot enough.
Switch? What switch? He then walked into the garage and turned it off. The noise and shaking stopped, and our electrician later discovered it was connected to our attic fan, which we never used. I felt so foolish. The reality was much less foreboding than my imagination had been.
So while my husband and son slept peacefully, I had stayed awake waiting, watching, praying and imagining the worse. Have you ever felt that way? Have you had situations that were beyond your control and you didn't know what to do?
Sometimes we don't know what's happening, why or how a situation is going to work out. We have no answers. We only have questions and we are forced to wait for and depend on someone who knows more than we do to take over and bring the solution. As much as I prayed, God did not show me what was going on. Instead, He allowed me to stew in my own fears. He knew I was perfectly safe from harm. He knew what was happening and that my fears were unfounded even if I didn't. Instead of fretting, I could have slept in peace and safety, according to Psalm 4:8.
There are times when a major crisis disrupts our lives and we feel equally helpless in the face of it. God knows all about that too. He knows the end from the beginning and He has already promised that all things will work out for our good no matter what it sounds or looks like (see Rom. 8:28).
He knows how to handle each situation, and we can rely on Him totally for even the smallest details of our lives—whether it's the unfamiliar noise and shaking of an attic fan, or the shaking of our security through unemployment, illness or loss of a loved one. We may not understand what's happening when we're going through it, but in His time He will give us understanding and we will rejoice at the final outcome (see Jeremiah 29:11).
John Milton
John Milton by Dr. D. James Kennedy
How blessed we’d be if we could give ourselves over, body and soul, to the glorification of our Savior Jesus Christ. John Milton, England’s most profound poet, did precisely this.
He was a man molded by the Scriptures, and many consider Milton one of the highest examples of Puritanism. Though he lived much of his life in blindness, God granted him the vision to see things in the vast universe that lie beyond what the rest of humanity can see.
How blessed we’d be if we could give ourselves over, body and soul, to the glorification of our Savior Jesus Christ. John Milton, England’s most profound poet, did precisely this.
He was a man molded by the Scriptures, and many consider Milton one of the highest examples of Puritanism. Though he lived much of his life in blindness, God granted him the vision to see things in the vast universe that lie beyond what the rest of humanity can see.
John Milton saw the power of sin that, left unchecked, brings death. He
saw the reality of Jesus Christ, the second Adam. His masterpieces,
Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, involve two principal characters:
the first Adam, by whose disobedience all of humankind plunged into sin;
and the second Adam, Jesus Christ, the beginning of the new creation.
Milton’s epic poems describe the tremendous power and deception of sin that had come into this world, wreaking havoc and misery upon the earth. They also contain another reality—Jesus Christ, who gave thirty-three years of perfect obedience to God’s commands, who regained the kingdom for those of us who trust in Him.
Milton was a poet of the invisible. He splashed on a vast canvas the history of the world from eternity to eternity, painting with his pen the greatest panorama of all time. He saw things that no one had ever seen before. And he has shared that vision with others, opening the eyes of millions.
Milton believed that humankind has a high calling—to glorify the living Christ—and he fulfilled this calling in all he wrote. May we all have that same vision to be a blessing to God, to open the eyes of others by glorifying Jesus Christ in all we do.
Milton’s epic poems describe the tremendous power and deception of sin that had come into this world, wreaking havoc and misery upon the earth. They also contain another reality—Jesus Christ, who gave thirty-three years of perfect obedience to God’s commands, who regained the kingdom for those of us who trust in Him.
Milton was a poet of the invisible. He splashed on a vast canvas the history of the world from eternity to eternity, painting with his pen the greatest panorama of all time. He saw things that no one had ever seen before. And he has shared that vision with others, opening the eyes of millions.
Milton believed that humankind has a high calling—to glorify the living Christ—and he fulfilled this calling in all he wrote. May we all have that same vision to be a blessing to God, to open the eyes of others by glorifying Jesus Christ in all we do.
Obedience Tests
September 28
Obedience Tests
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands, which He had given their forefathers through Moses," Judges 3:4.
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands, which He had given their forefathers through Moses," Judges 3:4.
There is a spiritual truth God
revealed in the conquest of the Promised Land recorded in Judges chapter 3:
"These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had
not experienced any of the wars in Canaan" (Judges 3:1-3).
They didn't pass the test. "The
Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and
served the Baals and the Asherahs,"
Judges 3:7-8.
Martin Luther said there are three
things necessary to create a successful minister of God: prayer, meditation,
and temptation. You'll really never know the strength and reality of your faith
until you experience difficulty in life. You'll never know for sure whether God
can be trusted or if you'll fall to temptation until what you believe has
endured the fiery furnace.
The apostle Peter thought his faith
in Christ was solid until the temptation came to deny the Lord. Jesus knew
Peter was not mature spiritually, and that he would deny Jesus three times in
one day.
Peter didn't believe it, but sure
enough, Peter denied Jesus three times. Peter could not believe he would do
such a terrible thing. In order to discover this about himself, he needed to be
placed in a situation to reveal his true condition.
God allows circumstances to develop
around your life to give your faith opportunity to be proven. It is only when
we are tested in battle that we become skilled warriors.
You can be confident God will allow
trials to come your way through situations like an unreasonable boss, a
financial reversal, a false assault on your character, or a difficult
relationship that requires unconditional love. These battles are sent your way
to test what you know in the mind in order that they might become part of your
heart.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
The Anecdote to Anxiety
If
I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a
faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I
give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I
may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,
it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but
when that which is perfect comes, what is in part will disappear. When I
was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a
child. When I became a man, I put the ways childish things. For now we
see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
"Perfect love casts out fear."
The only perfect love any of us will ever experience is the perfect love of God.
Regarding God's love, His Holy Bible tells us that it "never fails." I Corinthians 13:8
Regarding God's love, His Holy Bible tells us that everything else we trust and understand will disappoint us, but God's love will never let us down.
Regarding God's love, His Holy Bible tells us that HE IS LOVE.
His Holy Bible is His love letter to us. Within its pages, we may find rest for our souls, we may find truth for the ages, we may find salvation for our eternity, we may find LOVE because we will find JESUS WHO IS THE LIVING WORD within the Holy Word.
But the greatest of these is love.
"Perfect love casts out fear."
The only perfect love any of us will ever experience is the perfect love of God.
Regarding God's love, His Holy Bible tells us that it "never fails." I Corinthians 13:8
Regarding God's love, His Holy Bible tells us that everything else we trust and understand will disappoint us, but God's love will never let us down.
Regarding God's love, His Holy Bible tells us that HE IS LOVE.
His Holy Bible is His love letter to us. Within its pages, we may find rest for our souls, we may find truth for the ages, we may find salvation for our eternity, we may find LOVE because we will find JESUS WHO IS THE LIVING WORD within the Holy Word.
"We might still feel afraid, but we can believe that God is with us. We may not be in control, but we can trust the One who is."
Lot's Wife
September 27
“But his wife looked back behind
him, and she became a pillar of salt,” Genesis 19:26.
Lot’s Wife by John W. Ritenbaugh
Lot's wife did not merely look
back—she dragged her heels from Sodom to Zoar, dawdling and wasting time. By
conducting herself in this way, she gave unmistakable evidence that her heart
did not believe what the angel had said to her—so she reluctantly left Sodom
because she loved the world; she loved the way of life she was leaving behind.
This has two direct applications to
our lives. In Luke 17:32, Jesus said, "Remember Lot's wife." He says that she
sought to save her life but lost it. The first lesson is that when the time
comes to flee, we must flee! Do not look back. This is corroborated by Matthew 24:17 and Mark 13:15, in Jesus' Olivet prophecy. He
said, “Let him who is on the housetop not come down.” Jesus meant, “Get out of
the city. Flee. Do not look back. Do not get any of your possessions. Leave!”
This is not to minimize the
gut-wrenching choices that this requires of us. Scripture implies that when
this occurs, our family might be spread all over the city, county, state,
nation, or globe. Will we have the faith to leave the city, not just without our material
possessions, but without our children? Are we going to trust God that He will
protect them and get them out, too? Though this is not easy, the word of our
Lord says, “Remember Lot's wife.”
The second lesson is that saving
one's life also pertains to one's way of life and manner of living. It includes
one's hopes, dreams, aspirations, traditions, attitudes, and relationships. All
of these have come from this world, which forms and makes us what we are, often
in opposition to God (see Romans 8:7). This is why the apostle warns in I John 2:15 to “love not the world.”
The world is cosmos, a system apart
from God, being organized and regulated upon false principles and false values.
It has made us what we are before God calls us, requiring our repentance and conversion from the things of the world.
Like science, conversion tells us there cannot be a vacuum in life. When we are
swept clean by God's forgiveness and His Holy Spirit, something must be done to keep us clean, to keep us holy,
and separated from the world. No man can serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24), therefore, loyalty cannot be
given with neutrality. We will be loyal to either God or to the world.
The way to God was open to Lot's
wife because of her husband's conversion (see I Corinthians 7:13-14). The problem was that she failed
to take advantage of all the privileges that were given to her vicariously
through her husband’s faith.
We must remember Lot's wife, for
never has so much opportunity been given to really know God through His Word
than has been given to the end-time church. Yet, when Christ asked, “When the
Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). The question requires each of us
to answer individually. Will He find faith in us?
He will find faith in us if we take
seriously His admonition to remember Lot's wife, who was totally unprepared
because she had no faith. We need to be working diligently to build our faith
in God by yielding to Him in loyalty in every opportunity life presents.
Remember Lot's wife.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Trust Your Instruments
Believers
in Christ sometimes experience a sense of disorientation that causes
them to feel lost, alone, abandoned. This often occurs at the point of
their greatest need.
Aviators have often experienced a similar type of disorientation. Flying into a cloud bank, navigating a storm, or even in the grip of darkness, pilots have been known to lose their bearings and unintentionally fly their aircraft right into the ground.
Experienced aviators have learned that in such situations, they dare not trust their senses but depend completely on their instruments. Christians must apply that principle to their walk with the Lord.
Aviators have often experienced a similar type of disorientation. Flying into a cloud bank, navigating a storm, or even in the grip of darkness, pilots have been known to lose their bearings and unintentionally fly their aircraft right into the ground.
Experienced aviators have learned that in such situations, they dare not trust their senses but depend completely on their instruments. Christians must apply that principle to their walk with the Lord.
When they are
overcome by the storms of life and by the darkness of their
circumstances, they must not rely upon their senses but upon their
faith. Faith is the instrument by which believers are able to overcome
the tumultuous circumstances through which they must sometimes pass.
Faith is the believer’s hope when all hope seems lost. Faith transforms despair to hope, depression to joy, darkness to light. Faith assures that there is a way where there seems to be no way.
Like the pilot, flying with his instruments as his guide, "We live by faith but not by sight." II Corinthians 5:7
Faith is the believer’s hope when all hope seems lost. Faith transforms despair to hope, depression to joy, darkness to light. Faith assures that there is a way where there seems to be no way.
Like the pilot, flying with his instruments as his guide, "We live by faith but not by sight." II Corinthians 5:7
Psssst...Unbeliever
Psssst...Unbeliever...Yes, you.
What are you standing on? Where is your hope?
Are you relying on your ability to make a good living for your family? Of course you are. The Bible tells you that those who do not care for their own are worse than infidels. I Timothy 5:8
What are you standing on? Where is your hope?
Are you relying on your ability to make a good living for your family? Of course you are. The Bible tells you that those who do not care for their own are worse than infidels. I Timothy 5:8
Are you relying on your ability to discern truth in a crooked and
perverse generation? Of course you are. The Bible tells you that
perilous times are upon you and even the very elect will be deceived if
they do not apprehend the truth. Matthew24 :24
God doesn't expect you to suspend common sense or your intellect in order to become a person of faith. What He does want from you is a willingness to lay your doubts aside and peruse truth with a bias-free search into all the facts of the issue so your common sense and your intellect will not be stumbling blocks to your pursuit of truth.
It has been the proclivity of man from the beginning to succumb to the question posed by the evil one to our earliest ancestors--"Indeed, has God said?" Genesis 3:1
That questions compels man to do as he has done from the beginning--to doubt God and the veracity of His word.
The original application--HE certainly couldn't mean that you shouldn't enjoy this beautiful fruit--is now interpreted as:
HE certainly couldn't mean that your indulgence of pleasure should be denied.
HE certainly couldn't mean that a 4,000 year old proclamation of virtue still has relevance today.
HE certainly couldn't mean that anyone living in a scientifically and technologically advanced age where any 'facts' worth believing can be proven should be required to comply with an antiquated notion of the existence of a Higher Being.
But HE does. He says of Himself, "I am the Lord. I change not." Malachi 3:6
He doesn't expect you to suspend your common sense or your intellect, but He does expect you to lay aside the frail human logic that has brought you to a point of unbelief and to allow faith to have a fair shake in your thinking.
Just a fair shake...not for HIS sake, but for yours
God doesn't expect you to suspend common sense or your intellect in order to become a person of faith. What He does want from you is a willingness to lay your doubts aside and peruse truth with a bias-free search into all the facts of the issue so your common sense and your intellect will not be stumbling blocks to your pursuit of truth.
It has been the proclivity of man from the beginning to succumb to the question posed by the evil one to our earliest ancestors--"Indeed, has God said?" Genesis 3:1
That questions compels man to do as he has done from the beginning--to doubt God and the veracity of His word.
The original application--HE certainly couldn't mean that you shouldn't enjoy this beautiful fruit--is now interpreted as:
HE certainly couldn't mean that your indulgence of pleasure should be denied.
HE certainly couldn't mean that a 4,000 year old proclamation of virtue still has relevance today.
HE certainly couldn't mean that anyone living in a scientifically and technologically advanced age where any 'facts' worth believing can be proven should be required to comply with an antiquated notion of the existence of a Higher Being.
But HE does. He says of Himself, "I am the Lord. I change not." Malachi 3:6
He doesn't expect you to suspend your common sense or your intellect, but He does expect you to lay aside the frail human logic that has brought you to a point of unbelief and to allow faith to have a fair shake in your thinking.
Just a fair shake...not for HIS sake, but for yours
Stand Firm
September 26
Stand Firm by John W. Ritenbaugh
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence,
which has great reward. For you have
need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive
the promise: For yet a little
while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by
faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no
pleasure in him But we are not of those who draw back to
perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. “ Hebrews
10:35-39
This is not the first time faith or
its opposite, unbelief, is mentioned in Hebrews. The very purpose of the entire
epistle is to recapture, build, and sustain in its recipients their faith in
the superiority of Jesus Christ Himself and in His message, the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
Notice the strong, earlier
statements Paul makes regarding unbelief:
Hebrews 3:12, 19:
"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in
departing from the living God. . . . So we see that [the Israelites in the wilderness]
could not enter in[to the Promised Land] because of unbelief."
Hebrews 4:2: "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to
them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with
faith in those who heard it."
These are weighty statements. The
Israelites failed to accomplish their responsibility of walking from Egypt to
the Promised Land primarily because of one weak element in their
character. They did not believe God or
His messenger Moses. They did not listen thoughtfully or
yieldingly.
Because of the warning contained within
Hebrews 10:35-39, chapter 11 places the virtue of faith
in direct contrast to the sin of
unbelief by exposing what unbelief caused to occur.
The Israelites drew back in fear
rather than trusting God and boldly going forward. Thus, the main point of the epistle of
Hebrews is that they will be destroyed who, by failing to put their trust in
the living God, shrink back from this Christian war we have been called to
fight.
Only those who believe in and stand
firm in faith in Jesus will be saved.
Friday, September 25, 2015
If
Christian Freedom International has released some shocking statistics! They have found that more than 200 million followers are facing persecution in 105 countries, making Christianity the most persecuted religion in the world."If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also." John 15: 20
Image: Open Doors
In the map above, North Korea the leading with its most extreme persecution, followed by Somalia and Iraq.
SEE ALSO: “Pastor Uses His Own Life To Show That God Has His Way Of Reaching The Toughest Of Hearts”
Video: Christian Freedom Intl
Be of Good Cheer
"In the world, you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD." JESUS John 16:33
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
September 25
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Keep Your Eyes On Jesus by Dr. D. James Kennedy
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But
when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord,
save me!’—Matthew 14:30, NIV
Have you ever faced a storm in
your life, one so big that you thought you’d never see the light of day
again? Maybe you face one even now, and you feel threatened and dismayed by
the waves crashing around you.
Peter knew exactly how you feel.
After a long, hard day of ministry, Christ had sent his disciples to sail
across the Sea of Galilee while He climbed a mountain alone to commune with
His Father. The disciples’ crossing was anything but smooth. The winds had
whipped the sea into a frenzy, and the disciples struggled to control their
boat. Unable to make headway, the disciples feared for their lives.
Then, in the last watch of the
night, Jesus came to them—walking on the water! When the disciples saw Jesus
coming toward them, they were terrified. They thought they had seen a ghost,
and they cried aloud. But Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be
afraid.”
Peter responded, “Lord, if it’s
you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus replied, “Come.”
As Peter
began to walk on the surface of the water, he focused his sights on Jesus.
Step after step, he walked on top of the water! But, as the sea continued to
churn around him, Peter looked at the water and began to sink. He cried out
in terror, “Lord, save me!”
So Jesus reached out His hand and rescued him,
saying, “You of little faith.” As long as Peter kept his eyes trained on his
Lord, he had safe passage in the midst of a raging storm. But when he focused
on the churning waters, he lost sight of Jesus and lost his footing, too.
As you face storms in your life,
don’t look at the waves crashing around you. Instead, keep your eyes focused
on Jesus. He can steady and sustain you through any storm. Look at Him and
walk toward Him—He’ll give you safe passage through the raging seas.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His
wonderful face. And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim in the
light of His glory and grace. —Helen Lemmel
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Thursday, September 24, 2015
Faith
"Without
faith it is impossible to please God; anyone who comes to Him must
believe that HE IS and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6
"If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the midst of the sea,' the mountain will move and nothing shall be impossible to you." Matthew 17:20
"God has given to every man a measure of faith." Romans 12:3
"If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the midst of the sea,' the mountain will move and nothing shall be impossible to you." Matthew 17:20
"God has given to every man a measure of faith." Romans 12:3
God has set you up--in a good way. First, He tells you that you have
no possibility of pleasing Him if you don't have faith. He doesn't say
He doesn't love you. He doesn't say He is indifferent to you or your
needs. No. He's simply informing you that if you want Him to move in
your behalf, you must seek Him with a full heart and you must expect
that He will maintain His integrity by doing what He's promised to do.
Second, He tells you that even if you have mustard seed faith--small faith--you can move mountains. You can move mountains of doubt. You can move mountains of persecution. You can move mountains of prejudice. You can move mountains of despair. You can move mountains of illness. You can move mountains of poverty. You can move mountains of loss. You can move mountains of failure. With the tiniest seed of faith in Jesus, you can move any mountain that looms before you; you can move any mountain that separates you from your hope. NOTHING shall be impossible to you.
Third, He tells you that you HAVE faith. You may not think you have faith. You may be a skeptic. You may, within yourself and your own resources, doubt the very existence of God, but if you are willing to stir it up, if you are willing to draw faith from the deep reservoir of your selfhood, you will discover that it is indeed within you, for the Holy One has Himself placed it there!
Don't deny yourself the blessing of faith and all that it can avail to you.
Claim it.
Employ it.
Share it.
Benefit from it.
Second, He tells you that even if you have mustard seed faith--small faith--you can move mountains. You can move mountains of doubt. You can move mountains of persecution. You can move mountains of prejudice. You can move mountains of despair. You can move mountains of illness. You can move mountains of poverty. You can move mountains of loss. You can move mountains of failure. With the tiniest seed of faith in Jesus, you can move any mountain that looms before you; you can move any mountain that separates you from your hope. NOTHING shall be impossible to you.
Third, He tells you that you HAVE faith. You may not think you have faith. You may be a skeptic. You may, within yourself and your own resources, doubt the very existence of God, but if you are willing to stir it up, if you are willing to draw faith from the deep reservoir of your selfhood, you will discover that it is indeed within you, for the Holy One has Himself placed it there!
Don't deny yourself the blessing of faith and all that it can avail to you.
Claim it.
Employ it.
Share it.
Benefit from it.
Integrity
September 24
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Integrity
by Dr. D. James Kennedy
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‘But
let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No.” For whatever is more than these
is from the evil one.’—Matthew 5:37
A little boy was once asked in
Sunday school to define the noun “lie.” In response, the boy said, “A lie is
an abomination to the Lord and a very present help in time of trouble.”
We may laugh at this child’s
perspective, and yet doesn’t it hit a little close to home? Have you found
yourself justifying a lie here and there? Many of us do. But we need to avoid
compromising the truth.
We need to cultivate truthfulness
in our lives for several reasons. First, as Charles Hodges says, “Truthfulness
is the very substratum of deity.”
By that definition, a being who would lie
couldn’t be God but merely a false god or lying idols of the heathen.
Truthfulness is the very essence of God’s character. If God lied, we could
have no confidence in Him whatsoever.
Second, truthfulness is essential
to God’s purpose for humankind. We can never reach God’s full potential for
us if we lie. The Scripture tells us that our goal is to become like God and
Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must become like Him who cannot lie under any
circumstances.
Third, lying destroys the fabric
of society. Social harmony depends on a certain amount of trust based on
truthfulness. How can there be any trust among us when we justify telling
lies?
Can you truthfully say that
honesty and integrity are qualities in your life? We need to remember that we
will stand before God and be held accountable for every idle word.
Therefore, in the words of the
psalmist, “Keep your tongue from evil.” Psalm 34:14. Let’s pray that our truthfulness as
Christians will shine like a beacon in a world steeped in darkness and lies.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Sponsored by Kleenex...
...and you'll need a few of them when you watch this:
NICU Nurse Is Reunited With ALL Of The Babies She Saved – Their Reunion Is Something Else
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